What Heroes Do
by Charmed-and-More
Summary: COMPLETE After a run-in with the Flash, Danny Phantom is the prisoner of STAR Lab's curious scientists. With his parents assisting, it's only a matter of time before Danny's secret is revealed, but perhaps a ghostly interruption can delay the inevitable. Takes place early season 2 of Flash. No PP. Revelation Fic.
1. Chapter 1: Scan

**A/N: Hi friends! If you've followed my other stories then you may be surprised I'm publishing again. I promise this one will not take 8 years to complete, heh. Seriously, I have almost all of it written already. This began in my head as a one-shot, but then I just kept writing, so it will now be a short story told in 4 or 5 chapters. Enjoy! :)**

With a heavy sigh, Danny slid his back down the wall of his latest chamber of captivity. From the looks of things, he was going to be here a while. Instinctively, he reached for his phone, which usually remained clipped to his belt when he was in ghost form. He groped around at his sides, his movements becoming more panicked, as he found nothing.

Scowling, he looked out from the clear glass front of the pod-like structure that held him prisoner. "Hey!" He shouted, with a pound of his fist on the glass. "Either of you seen my phone?"

The two young scientists, to whom the question was directed, merely blinked at their captive's sudden outburst. They were seated at a curved white desk behind large computer monitors that were also sleek and white.

The male scientist leaned back in his chair, his hands coming to rest behind his head of shoulder-length black hair. "What sort of ghost owns a cellphone?" he asked the ceiling with a frown.

"What sort of scientist wears a t-shirt to work?" Danny shot back.

This seemed to get the young man's attention as he dropped from his reclined position to level a smirk at the prisoner. "Oh, so it's got jokes."

"Cisco," the female scientist scolded from her place in front of one of the computer monitors. Her long brown hair flew across her slim shoulders as she turned to reprimand her colleague. "You heard the Fenton's. No interacting with the ghost until they return from having lunch with their kids."

The Latino shrugged. "So what, we're just gonna ignore it if it speaks?"

"Uh,'it' has a name, you know," Danny grumbled.

"Yes," the young woman responded, turning back to her work without a single glance in Danny's direction. "That is exactly what we are going to do."

"Caitlin, that containment chamber we've got him in is just as strong as the ones we use for the meta-humans, plus is has added anti-ghost modifications. There's no way he could break out or do much of anything as long as he's in there. So what's the harm in talking?"

"What's a meta-human?" Danny wondered aloud. He was examining his gloved hands solemnly. What was being said about his unit of containment had been proven true by his current state; though he could feel his ghost energy surge within him, there was something about the pod that completely restricted him from letting any of it out. He was trapped.

"According to Maddie," Caitlin replied gingerly, again acting as if Danny hadn't spoken, "ghosts are extremely manipulative and deceptive creatures so I would imagine there's plenty of room for harm in talking to the ghost."

"Fine." Cisco blew out a long breath and spun around in his chair.

"Is the Flash a meta-human?" Danny asked. It would make sense to call the Flash a term that designated him as different from other humans. He obviously was not a normal human and he certainly wasn't a ghost as Danny had originally suspected when he had first researched the town and its "red streak." This was immediately after his parents had announced their "wonderful news" and informed him that he and Jazz would accompany them to Central City for a scientific "meeting of the minds" at STAR Labs.

With both scientists dutifully ignoring him, Danny exhaled slowly and stretched out his legs as far as his chamber would allow, which wasn't much. If it weren't for the annoying red streak he wouldn't be in this mess. He knew going ghost while his parents were out and about was a risk, but he hadn't expected them to be working with the Flash. He also hadn't anticipated the Flash being able to catch him.

"Can't catch what you can't see," he remembered taunting right before he flew straight into a red tornado that had funneled him straight into the beam of the Fenton Thermos. He had then been transferred from the thermos to his current lovely home, which simply felt like a larger thermos, but with a view.

His parents had been thrilled, of course, and overly anxious to begin poking and prodding at him, excited to show off for their new science buddies. Luckily for him, they had made lunch plans with him and Jazz so off they went with the promise to return soon for his grand examination and analysis. They had not specified whether this involved a dissection.

Danny wondered what excuse Jazz would give them when he didn't show for lunch. And how she would react when they told her they had caught the infamous Phantom. This is why he needed his phone. Her sisterly concern had to be off the charts right about now.

All of a sudden, there was a great whooshing sound and the red wonder himself appeared in the middle of the lab. "Just great," Danny thought to himself with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey guys, what'd I miss?"

The scientists, who Danny now knew were called Cisco and Caitlin, though they still had yet to ask or care what his name was, were unfazed by the super hero's entrance.

"Not much," Cisco replied, "Ghost is still here. Ghost lost its phone. Caitlin won't let me talk to the ghost. And waiting is boring."

The Flash laughed. "Sorry, man, but I gotta go with Caitlin on this one. We have no idea how dangerous that thing could be."

"Okay, that's it." Danny stood and turned to face his captors with a stern look. "It's Phantom, ok? Danny Phantom. That's my name. I am not a thing and I am not an 'it.'"

The trio seemed unsure of whether they should respond or not, but he certainly had their attention this time.

"Look, you can call me 'Danny' or you can call me 'Phantom.' Heck, you can even call me 'Inviso-Bill'- actually please don't. I hate that name." He chuckled lamely.

It was sort of meant as a joke, but the room remained flooded in suspicious silence.

"Or just continue to stare at me in silence." Danny rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "That works too."

The Flash and his companions were sharing questioning looks when a cell phone started buzzing. Producing a phone from somewhere in his slim suit, the masked hero glanced down.

"I gotta take this," he explained before speeding out of the room.

"At least someone knows where his phone is," Danny muttered, sinking back into a sitting position.

"Inviso-Bill." Cisco laughed. "That's a ridiculous name if I've ever heard one."

"Yeah, sounds like something you'd come up with," Caitlin quipped.

"Hey!" Cisco shot a rubber band at her, but missed.

Danny was trying to act like he wasn't paying attention to the scientists and their banter since they refused to acknowledge him, when a young man he hadn't seen before strode into the lab, raking a hand through his brown hair.

"Patty's getting suspicious," the newcomer said, coming to lean against the desk across from Caitlin. "I don't know how long I can keep lying to her."

Danny studied the slender youth. There was something oddly familiar about him and even stranger was the way Cisco and Caitlin had not been surprised by his entrance, nor had they exchanged greetings. As far as Danny could tell, STAR Labs was not the sort of place one could just waltz into and he had been under the impression that, up until the Flash showed up, they were alone in the building.

"Barry," Caitlin stood to address her friend, "I know you think keeping Patty in the dark will protect her, but I disagree. Remember when you finally told Iris the truth?"

Barry nodded. "I know, I know, but this is different. I've known Iris my whole life. It felt weird with her not knowing I'm the-" He caught himself, throwing a hasty glance at Danny's prison pod. He sighed. "I trust Patty and I have feelings for her, but at the same time, we're still just getting to know each other."

Caitlin simply nodded and gave him a reassuring pat on the arm.

"Are you saying your girlfriend doesn't know you're the Flash?" Danny asked the question out loud before he had time to consider whether it was a good idea or not.

Caitlin looked up from the computer monitor, to which she had only just returned, and Cisco stopped idly spinning his chair.

Barry blinked and cleared his throat in an attempt to recover from the shock. He knew he should have been more careful around the ghost. Maddie had warned them he would try to manipulate them.

"No one said anything about the Flash." Barry came to stand in front of Danny's pod and regarded him with a steady glare. "Look, ghost, whatever game you're playing isn't going to work. We're not scared of you."

"Clearly," Danny replied with a smirk, "or you would have been more careful about what you said around me. What, is it your first day with a secret identity?"

Barry's eyebrows went up. "And you would know something about having a secret identity?"

Realizing he had said too much, Danny ducked his head. He had remained seated throughout this exchange, trying to feign casual interest, but his position now portrayed self-defense.

"Nothing, forget I said anything," Danny mumbled, crossing his arms. "I'm just the ghost, remember?"

Barry softened at the intense emotion that seemed to radiate from the trapped being before him. He knelt down so he was at eye-level with the ghost. From this angle, Barry could almost mistake him for a human teenager… and a scared one at that. Hunched forward so that his arms could rest on his knees, the teen refused to look up, bright green eyes obscured by snow-white hair

"Phantom, was it?" Barry spoke softly.

Danny hesitated, but then gave an affirmative nod.

"Phantom, I'm Barry."

Surprised by the introduction, a very humanizing gesture, Danny looked up, his electric eyes finally meeting Barry's gentle gaze.

"I know this might be unfair," Barry continued, "but we're new to this whole ghost thing and we're just going off of what the experts, the Fenton's, told us."

He seemed to be waiting for a response so Danny nodded again.

"I'm wondering if you would like to tell us your version of the truth?"

Danny cracked a smile at Barry's careful wording of his question. "Heh, _my version_ ," he sneered, unwilling to let the young man off the hook that easily. He was, after all, still sealed in a high-tech Tupperware container thanks to this guy.

Barry kept his voice earnest. "I'm just saying we've heard their views and now I'm willing to hear yours."

Danny leaned his head back against the wall of his cell. "Because you're worried I'll tell someone you're the Flash?" He cocked an eyebrow.

Barry looked away and took a steadying breath, feeling like he was balancing on a tight rope.

The teen ghost recognized the struggle clearly written across his fellow super hero's face and realized that this was his chance to not just tell, but show, these scientists his true nature.

"You don't have to worry about that," he said slowly. "You may not believe me, but I promise I won't tell anyone."

Barry turned back to face him, surprised.

"Not all ghosts are evil," Danny continued, "But I get it that you have to decide for yourself whether you can trust me or not."

There was a pause while Barry and Danny shared a look.

Cisco and Caitlin had both kept their distance, but were concerned for their friend.

"Barry, I think…" Caitlin was cut short by a sound alerting them that there was someone at the door.

Cisco checked one of the computer monitors. "It's the Fenton's."

"Caitlin, will you let them in?" Barry stood and crossed the room to where Cisco was seated. He leaned in so the computer monitor hid their faces from Danny. "I think you should go ahead and start running that scan," he told Cisco quietly.

Cisco replied with a quick nod and, scooting to the computer, a few clicks of his mouse.

"Hey everyone!" Jack Fenton bellowed as he entered the lab.

There were smiles and handshakes exchanged as the group of scientists reacquainted themselves with the ghost hunters and made a few new introductions. Having only previously met Barry as the Flash, they thought they were meeting him for the first time.

" _Doctor_ Allen?" Maddie asked as they shook hands.

"Oh, no," Barry laughed sheepishly, "just Barry. I'm afraid I haven't earned that title yet."

"I'm sure you get along just fine without it," Maddie said with an encouraging smile. "Forensics is a wonderful field. I'll bet you do a lot of good work."

Danny, observing these interactions silently from his cell, felt an odd sensation at the way his mom beamed at the young scientist. She'd just met the guy and already she was complimenting him? What gives?

"And I'd like you all to meet my daughter, Jazz," Jack exclaimed as he pulled forward the redheaded teen.

Jazz smiled and greeted the scientists, but as soon as she was done, her gaze settled on Danny.

He gave his sister a quick two-fingered salute to which she drew her mouth into a thin disapproving line.

"Didn't you guys say you had a son, too?" Cisco asked. "I was looking forward to meeting the whole family."

"Yes, we do," Maddie replied, "but apparently he's off with some girl he met at the mall. That's a teenage boy for you, I suppose."

Danny couldn't ignore how her voice rang of disappointment or how his gut clenched.

"Well I remember being his age," Barry said. "I was such a nerd I couldn't even talk to a girl, so good for him!" His kind-hearted laughter seemed to lighten the mood as others joined him.

"Easy man," Cisco said, coming to pat his friend on the back, "some of us never outgrew being huge nerds!"

Through the laughter, no one noticed Danny and Jazz's continued silent conversation.

"Relax," Danny seemed to say as he gave her a shrug, his feelings surrounding his mother and Barry forgotten for now.

Jazz's eyes went wide as if to say, "How can I relax?! You're stuck in a giant test tube!"

"Ah Jazzy," Jack said, returning his attention to his daughter, "I see you've noticed the ghost we caught! Didn't I tell ya, you'd be surprised?"

"You sure did," she replied through a fake smile, "and I really wish I was."

Danny rolled his eyes at the jab subtly meant for him. Given normal circumstances, he would have easily evaded his parents and she knew that, but he was sure that wouldn't stop her from giving him some speech later about being more careful.

"So we were thinking we would start with a full biometrics scan," Maddie said, getting down to business.

"Already on it," Cisco said with a smile.

"You're already scanning me?!" Danny was on his feet in an instant. He threw a desperate look at Jazz, his bravado slipping as the reality of the situation took hold. He wasn't completely sure what biometrics meant, but it sounded like it could possibly reveal his biological make-up, which is not something he was particularly keen on discussing with his parents or these scientists that he barely knew.

"Yeah, it's a little soon for that, don't you think?" Jazz said, trying to think fast. "Why don't you just start by talking to him?"

"An interview at this point is unlikely to yield any factual results, honey," Maddie explained. "He has no reason to be honest with us."

"Sure I do!" Danny cut in. "You're the fearsome Fenton's! I'll tell you whatever you want to know! Just no scanning!"

Cisco's computer dinged. "Too late, bro," he said, giving his keyboard a few taps. "I don't see what the big deal is though. It's not like it's an invasive… test." He seemed to have gotten distracted by what he was seeing on his screen. "Whoa."

"Cisco, what is it?" Barry peered over his shoulder so he could also see the screen. Caitlin quickly joined them.

Jack and Maddie had begun unloading their gear from a suitcase they had dropped off earlier, but they turned to look at the gathering around the monitor.

"He's…" Cisco looked up at Danny, who was glaring at him, daring him to say it out loud. "You're…"

A chill ran up Danny's spine, but it wasn't because his secret was about to be revealed. It was his ghost sense.

 **Review so I know you're interested in more please! Thanks! :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Ghost Cop

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing guys! I'm so happy to hear that you like the story and that there are DP fans who are also Flash fans! This chapter picks up right where the last one left off. Enjoy!**

"He's… You're…"

"He's mine!" Walker's voice exploded into the room. The tall, square-jawed ghost appeared between Danny and the scientists, dressed in his usual fashion of an all white suit with a black Stetson.

His guards began popping up as well. Using their electric clubs, they prodded Caitlin, Cisco, and Barry into a tight circle, a little ways from the computer.

Maddie and Jack were each holding weapons at the time, an ecto-gun and the Fenton Fisher respectively, but they were forced to drop them by guards who were all too willing to show them what their own weapons were capable of.

Jazz had tried to react quickly, pulling the Fenton Thermos from her purse, but it was easily knocked out of her hand and she was restrained as well.

Danny could only watch from the window of his prison and seethe, his ghost energy straining to be unleashed.

"Hey-ya, Punk," Walker tipped his hat in Danny's direction, "Long time, no see."

He was using the phrase correctly, stressing its sarcastic connotation. The day before Danny was supposed to leave for this trip, the two had fought when Danny came across his search party on the outskirts of town. As usual, Walker had been looking for Wulf. He was infuriated to instead find his tracking device attached to a traumatized squirrel. Danny and his friends had just about died laughing before returning him to the Ghost Zone.

"Really?" Danny replied, "Because I could have sworn I ran into you the other day. I could have been mistaken though; you were looking a bit squirrelly!" The teen laughed at his own joke.

Walker growled and slammed his hand against Danny's unit of containment, causing it to rock with sound waves that cut Danny's laugh short.

"Ow," he complained, "covering his ears. Now I know how fish feel."

"Enjoy that," Walker said with a smirk. "Because with what I've got planned for you, you'll be wishing you had as much freedom as a goldfish in a bowl. Guards!"

At his call, several more guards appeared.

"This prison seems to suit our prisoner quite nicely. What do you say we take it with us?"

The guards smiled and began stripping the pod away from the wall. Using their powers of intangibility to disconnect it from whatever metal supports and wires were keeping it bound there.

"Uh, I wouldn't do that."

Walker slowly turned to face the group of humans he had yet to acknowledge. It was Cisco who had spoken up, but he was now receiving a nudge and look from Barry.

Drawing himself up to his full height, Walker addressed them. "And why is that?"

Cisco went a bit pale under the glare of Walker's glowing green eyes.

"What he means, uh, is," Barry took over, "he wouldn't do that because it would destroy that wall and we like that wall the way it is…" The hesitation in his voice made it clear he was making this up as he went along.

Caitlin nodded and tried to lend support by throwing in an encouraging "M-hm."

"But it looks like you've got your heart set on taking it," Barry continued, "so by all means, uh, you can have it?"

Danny watched the scene playing out before him with interest. He got the feeling Barry/the Flash was helping him, but he didn't quite know how.

Walker raised an eyebrow. "Good. I'm glad we settled that," he deadpanned. Though skeptical of the statement, he still felt he was in control. "Not that I needed your permission, son. In the case of an arrest, I have full authority."

"Arrest?" Cisco found his voice again. "What are you some sort of ghost cop?" His eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh, I just had the greatest idea for a TV show."

Walker adjusted his collar and turned back to Danny and the flurry of guards surrounding his chamber. "I'm a warden to be exact, but in my prison you could say I wear… many hats." He threw an evil smirk Danny's way to punctuate his remark.

Danny rolled his eyes. "If you're asking if he has any real authority," he said, being sure to look past Walker to address Cisco, "then the answer to your question is, no."

"If I'm not in charge," Walker challenged, "then how come I'm the one calling the shots and you're the one locked up?"

"Because you're too much of a coward to face me in a fair fight?" Danny returned.

"There's no such thing as a fair fight when one opponent has the law on his side and the other does not."

Danny crossed his arms. "By law you mean arbitrary rules that you made-up, apply only for self-gain, and use as an excuse to torture both innocent ghosts _and_ humans."

Walker growled. "There's nothing innocent about you, Punk."

Danny opened his mouth for a retort, but suddenly fell forward when the guards jostled his cell in an attempt to fully detach it from the wall. He caught himself with his hands, palms flat against the clear front of the chamber. That's when he realized it felt different now. It felt… normal. In fact, everything felt normal – gone was the pressure of whatever ghost-energy suppressing powers the pod had previously possessed. Disconnecting it from the wall must have also separated it from its power source! That must have been what Cisco was going to warn the guards about!

"Maybe I'm not completely innocent," Danny said, allowing his eyes to glow menacingly, "But you're definitely guilty." Before Walker could react, Danny disappeared.

Barry used the distraction, as well as his speed, to run across the room to where Jack had dropped the Fenton Fisher. Within what seemed like a mere second, he had used the fishing line to collect and rope together every single one of Walker's guards.

Danny reappeared just as his foot solidly connected with Walker's face, sending the warden to the ground. He looked up, expecting to meet opposition from the guards, but instead gaped when he saw Barry's handiwork.

"Wow," he complimented the speedster, "Thanks?" The word came out as a question as Danny was unsure whether the gesture was one of support or simply an act of heroism for the sake of his family and the other scientists.

"Don't' mention it," Barry said. His use of the casual remark contrasted with the slightly bewildered look on his face.

Jazz picked up the thermos that lay by her feet and sucked the guards inside, then tossed it to Danny, but Walker recovered in time to leap to his feet and block the catch. He then grabbed Danny by his neck and pinned him up against the wall.

"Either you come with me or someone else from this room does," he threatened, "your choice."

Danny squirmed in Walker's grip. "How about… neither!" With a blue flash he froze Walker's hands and then went intangible to escape his grasp. He turned, planning on finishing the job using more of his freezing abilities, but Walker was smiling.

Pink energy coursed through the warden ghost's hands, melting the ice. "You really think I'd come after you again without first learning how to counteract your little ice trick? Rule number one of running a prison is to know your prisoner's strengths…"

Walker suddenly grabbed Jazz, holding her in front of him with one hand while the other continued to cackle with pink energy, dangerously close to her face. "And his weaknesses!"

"Let her go!" The cry came from Maddie and Walker turned to see her and Jack had found weapons to aim at him. He merely smirked and sent them crashing against the far wall with a blast of pink.

"That's enough!" Danny yelled, anger coursing through him, urging him to use his powers and fight back. But as he watched Jazz, trying to stay calm in Walker's hold, he knew the risk was too great at this point. He let the energy building in his palms be reabsorbed and forced his body to relax from its fighting stance. "I'll go with you," he relented, "Just leave everyone else here alone."

Walker seemed to be considering this. "You know that still leaves me one prisoner short seeing as it was your fault we lost track of Wulf the other day, so I've got a better idea. You're going to make up for that incident by finding Wulf for me. You are then going to turn in both yourself and the fur-ball to me at my prison."

Danny clenched his jaw, waiting for the threat he knew was coming.

"And to make sure you have plenty of motivation to do so, I will keep one of these humans in temporary custody."

Danny grit his teeth. "You know I can't let you do that."

"I'm afraid you don't really have a choice." Walker smiled. "Now let's see… which one to take?" He shoved Jazz so that she was standing with the rest of the group, her parents having recovered from Walker's blast.

"I'll go." Barry took a step forward. His friends made a grab for him as if to stop him, but he shook them off.

Danny was surprised by the action and when he looked at Barry, the young man met his eyes. There was a knowing look there. As if he were saying, "We are heroes. This is what we do." Danny simply nodded in return, hoping it expressed his gratitude as well as a promise to eventually free him.

They both turned their attention back to Walker. Their plan was a gamble as it was unclear whether the ghost had witnessed Barry's speed; he had been recovering from Danny's blow at the time.

"You see," Walker said, "now that's how you cooperate with an authority." He laughed at his own joke before pulling a walkie-talkie from his belt. "Prisoner ready for pick-up," he spoke into it.

One of Walker's prisoner transporter trucks materialized into the room and Walker led Barry into the back of it. Glowing purple handcuffs seemed to magically appear on his wrists. Barry gave Cisco and Caitlin a tight smile in an attempt to reassure them that he was fine before he disappeared into the back of the truck.

Walker slammed its door shut. "Don't keep me waiting, ghost boy." And with that, the truck and its occupants vanished.

 **A/N: Thank you again! Apologies for the short chapter, but the next one is much longer! I will probably post it this weekend.**


	3. Chapter 3: Biology

**A/N: Huge two-part chapter here for ya! :) I could have been mean and divided it up, but one part would have been too short so I decided not to do that to you guys. I LOVED writing this so I really hope you guys enjoy it. Please let me know your thoughts!**

Barry squinted as neon light poured into the back of the truck, the door opening with a loud whine. It seemed they had arrived at their destination. Two of those green ghost guards appeared on either side of him and escorted him out into a vibrantly pink room. Barry blinked as his eyes adjusted and he realized it wasn't the pinkness of the room that made it appear bright, but the way the walls and rows of cells and everything in sight actually seemed to be glowing. He was led down the hall to a large room holding a prison cell that was away from all the rest and shoved inside. The barred door closed behind him with a loud CLANK!

The guards didn't leave but stood at either side of the door facing away from him. They seemed to be waiting for something so Barry waited too.

"There we go!" The white warden ghost strode confidently into the room with a smirk on his face. "All settled in!"

Barry stood his ground and faced the ghost with a glare of his own. "Phantom may have warned me about the prison theme, but he said nothing about your taste in décor." He glanced around. "Neon pink. Kind of feminine, don't you think?"

Walker chuckled. "I see you have the same mocking attitude as the prisoner whose place you're holding. How fitting. Seems I made the right choice putting you in the cell I designed just for him. It holds both ghosts and humans. So there's no way for you to get out..." He bent down so his face was level with Barry's. "Or for anyone to faze you out."

Even with as little interaction as he had had with the warden, Barry could tell intimidation was a big thing for him and even though he had no idea where he was or whether anyone was coming to save him, he was not going to let this villain get the best of him.

"I'm going to enjoy watching Phantom kick your butt," he said smoothly.

Walker bared his teeth and let out a low growl, which Barry took as a sign that his comment had had its desired effect.

"Don't place your bet so soon, human punk," Walker spat. "I've been down this road with the ghost punk before and I have learned from my mistakes."

Walker turned and marched towards the doorway. "Believe me when I say that no mercy will be shown to the boy this time around." He stopped to face Barry one more time. "Or anyone who gets in my way."

Barry waited until he could no longer hear the clicking of the warden's boots echoing down the hall. He then turned his attention to the purple cuffs still glowing around his wrists. Vibrating his hands at a high intensity, he was able to easily slide them off. He looked up to make sure the guards hadn't noticed anything, but they were still staring straight ahead.

Cautiously, Barry then approached one wall of the bars that made up his cell. They were indeed solid metal, but also glowed green, and were close enough together to prevent someone from sliding between them. However he was betting this would not hold true for someone with the ability to make his whole body vibrate at an abnormally high frequency on a molecular level.

Barry looked past the bars at the wall adjacent to the one with the door leading down the hallway. Would it be better to try to faze through the wall using the same method and take his chances with whatever was on the other side? Or use his speed to run down the hall and risk being noticed by the guards? He decided to see how fast he could make it through the bars and over to the wall before deciding.

With one last glance at the stoic guards, he began to focus all his attention on vibrating his cells. In one fluid movement, he went through the bars and sped into the wall, which accepted him a lot easier. The momentum he had not needed to use on the wall stayed with him, causing him to continue running and fazing through the next several walls that came into his path before he could comprehend what was happening and slow himself to a stop.

Finding himself alone in a room, Barry went up to the wall for a closer inspection. Without using any of his speed, he placed his hand on the wall and then through it.

"Whoa," he said aloud. What sort of prison had walls that allowed people to pass through them? Then again what walls glowed without any light or electricity? Ghost walls? The scientist in him was fascinated.

"Hey!"

Barry turned to see he had been spotted by a guard and wasted no time in speeding onward. Forming theories about the ghost walls would have to wait. He didn't know where he was going, but he figured if he just kept running through walls in one direction then eventually he would wind up outside.

Sure enough, he soon passed through a giant stonewall with barbed wire on top, signaling the end of the prison. He planned on running a ways away from the prison before stopping to get his bearings, but as soon as he was outside he skidded to a stop right at the edge of a drop into swirling green nothingness.

"What?" Confused, Barry turned to look back at the prison. Above its towers swirled a green sky. And the whole structure appeared to be on an island. Floating. This didn't make any sense!

Barry paced the small patch of land between the prison and the cliff. Was it possible he had been drugged? Was this not real? It certainly felt real. He thought back to the moments leading up to his surrender, trying to remember if Phantom had said anything else that could clue him in to where he was or what might be going on.

"Argh, think Allen!" He berated himself, but it was useless. Phantom hadn't said much other than how unjust the warden is. Maybe that was his answer. Phantom and Walker had both made it clear that they knew each other and had some sort of rivalry. He may be the Flash, but in this case he was the bait for another hero.

Barry crossed his arms in thought. Did he really think Phantom was a good guy? Could he trust him to come for him like he had told the warden he would? He remembered standing over Phantom when they had him imprisoned in the lab. When Barry had knelt down to get a closer look at the ghost, he had looked so young… so… human. And he was human. The scan had said so.

Barry turned back to the prison and sighed. Using his speed, he re-entered its walls and was able to quickly locate the cell he was supposed to be occupying. He fazed through the bars and slid to a stop.

One of the guards turned to look at him. Barry tried to look casual and not at all like he had just returned from a jog around the prison. Had they seriously not turned around the entire time he was gone?

The guard grunted and resumed his position.

"You got lucky, Allen," Barry thought to himself. He sat down with his back against the far wall of his cell. Now he just had to hope he had made the right choice in choosing to trust Phantom to get him out of here. Wherever "here" was.

* * *

Immediately upon Barry and the ghosts' departure, the room fell into an awkward silence. A screw from the wall where Danny's prison pod had once been attached fell to the floor with a small "TINK."

"Uh..." Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about that." He gestured to the wrecked wall and the detached pod that lay heavily on the floor of the lab.

A chunk of plaster chose to fall next, producing a large "WHAP."

Caitlin opened her mouth to say something in reply, but found she had no words.

"Don't sweat it dude." Cisco scratched his head and tried to look casual. "Hap-happens all the time."

Danny shifted his weight and risked a glance at his parents. They seemed to be searching for their displaced weapons.

"Where did he take Barry?" Caitlin's voice came out small.

"Don't worry," Danny assured her, "I'll get him back."

"But how?" She plopped into Cisco's abandoned office chair, looking lost.

Cisco crossed his arms. "Do you even know where to find this Wulf person?"

"Dr. Snow, Cisco," Maddie interrupted with an authoritative tone. "We're going to have to ask you to stop talking to the ghost." She had found her Ecto-gun and had it pointed in Danny's direction. Jack stood behind her, looking serious and holding the Fenton Fisher.

Danny sighed and raised his hands above his head in an effort to cooperate.

"It's probably best," Maddie explained, "if you let us subdue the ghost and then allow us to question it with force. Otherwise anything it says to you could be a lie in an attempt to manipulate you."

"I'm not trying to-" Danny started to defend himself, but Maddie wouldn't have it.

"Silence, ghost! Your pure ectoplasmic nature compels you to be nothing but pure evil and-"

"But he's not all ectoplasm," Cisco cut in.

Maddie kept her weapon trained on Danny, but turned her attention to Cisco with a single raised brow.

Danny began shaking his head and with one hand gestured for the scientist to stop talking. Cisco merely squinted, confused by the signals.

Caitlin took his silence as her cue to explain, with biology being more her territory than her colleague's. Her eyes were already glued to the computer screen and the fascinating information it had revealed.

"The scan showed a completely human form infused with ghost properties that allows the whole body to act both human and ghost at the same time. It's really quite complex when you break it down to the cellular level, but essentially he's neither entirely human nor ghost."

She looked up emphatically. "He's both."

Everyone seemed to then turn to the subject in question for confirmation.

Danny sighed and dropped his hands, which had still been partially raised in surrender. "'I've always thought it's more like I'm half and half, but then again my scientific knowledge pretty much stops after 'the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.'"

Cisco beamed. "Which makes sense since that's 9th grade level biology and your scan shows you're around 15 or 16 years old." Then he frowned, "Wait so do half-ghost kids go to school?"

"I think that's enough for now," Danny said, dragging a hand through his hair. "I mean, do I have to reveal all my secrets in one afternoon? Sheesh."

Maddie had not lowered her gun, but sweat was building on her forehead.

"Mom?" Jazz gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "They're telling the truth. Phantom's a good guy. I told you, he does his best to protect the town." Maddie looked at her daughter, then at Jack, who was looking at Danny.

"He helped me save you guys once," Jack remembered, "I guess he can't be all bad."

Maddie turned back to Danny, her gun only slightly lowered. "But if you're human, then that would mean…"

She was interrupted by the gleeful tones of a ringing cell phone.

"Is that mine?" Danny looked around.

Jazz dug in her purse and pulled out his low-tech phone. "I found it at the hotel this morning," she said in a chastising tone as she tossed it to him, though it was now silent.

"Thanks." Danny caught it and managed to see that the caller had been Sam before the screen went dark. When he attempted to bring the screen back to life, all that would appear was a low battery symbol. "Crud," he muttered, once again raking a gloved hand through his hair.

He looked up to see all eyes on him.

"Ghost really did have a phone." Cisco seemed to find this amusing, his mouth curling into a small grin. "Guess it makes more sense now though."

"Yeah and it, uh, died." Danny laughed nervously, but his eyes lit up when he had an idea. "Hey, can I hop on that computer for a sec?"

Caitlin offered him the chair in front of the monitor as a reply.

"Thanks," Danny said, accepting the chair and wiggling the mouse. The screen brightened to reveal the results of his scan as well as a program that seemed to still be running a test. It took Danny a few seconds to figure it out what it was. "Hey! You're running my DNA through a police database?"

"Just because you're human, doesn't mean you're trustworthy," Cisco said, defensively.

"We work with the Flash, remember?" Caitlin added calmly. "We're used to dealing with humans who aren't completely human, but not all of them use their powers for good like he does."

Danny was listening, but had also searched for a messenger service on the computer and, having found one, began logging into his account. "Fine. Invade my privacy if it will put you at ease," he said, with a shrug, doubting his DNA with its ghostly modifications would match anything. "You could have just asked Jazz," he added, "She can vouch for me."

Cisco and Cailtin swiveled their gazes to the older teen. Jazz rolled her eyes. "He has plenty of flaws, but being evil isn't one of them."

"Thanks, I can tell that came from the heart," Danny commented sarcastically as he typed out a message to Sam.

HEY YOU CALL ME?

"So the ghost hunter's kid and the hunted ghost boy, huh?" Cisco smirked. "What is it like a forbidden romance type thing?"

"What?!" Jazz practically screeched.

Danny was too busy watching the screen for a reply from Sam to notice.

"Cisco," Caitlin hissed. "That is clearly not the case."

"What? She had his phone. She vouches for him. That doesn't tell you anything?"

"It tells us that they know each other, but I can tell you with the utmost confidence that that is _not_ how."

"Oh you can, can you?"

"I have a pretty good guess."

At that, Danny snapped around to give the bickering scientists a look. "We're friends," he said definitively with a look that told them to drop it.

The computer made a noise and Danny turned back around to read Sam's reply.

BEEN TRYING TO REACH YOU FOR HOURS. WHAT GIVES?

Danny chewed his lip as he thought up a reply.

SORRY. LONG MORNING. I'LL FILL YOU IN LATER.

Sam replied almost instantly.

SAME HERE. GOT A MINUTE?

"So," Cisco said, peering over Danny's shoulder. "Who are you talking to?"

"A friend," Danny replied curtly.

TEXTS ONLY. I'M NOT ALONE.

"She may know where Wulf is," he added, glancing at Caitlin. Despite how the

conversation had drifted, he knew she was still worried about Barry and the matter at hand.

"So you're telling me," Cisco spoke once again from his position hovering over Danny, "that ghosts instant message each other?"

"Never said I was talking to a ghost."

WALKER WAS HERE!

Sam's news made Danny's eyebrows go up.

THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT I WAS GOING TO TELL YOU

He paused, but then continued typing.

YOU WOULDN'T HAPPEN TO KNOW WHERE WULF IS, DO YOU?

The icon popped up showing that Sam was typing.

Cisco was no longer hovering, but leaning on the desk between Danny and Caitlin. "Of course, my bad, guess it would make sense that you have human friends too. So they're just cool with the whole half-ghost thing?"

"Mm hm." Danny was eagerly awaiting Sam's reply and was running out of patience for the scientist and his questions.

"Do you… look like a ghost all the time?" Cisco continued, undeterred, but he didn't seem to be counting on an answer as his gaze was directed upwards as if lost in his thoughts.

The computer dinged.

WE'RE TAILING HIM RIGHT NOW ACTUALLY! IN THE SPEEDER. TUCKER HAS HIS GPS UP AND THINKS HE'S LEADING US TO YOU… IF THAT'S TRUE WE'LL BE IN CENTRAL CITY ANY MINUTE NOW

"Ha!" Danny couldn't help but exclaim. "How's that for timing? Couldn't have planned it better myself."

"Good news?" Caitlin asked hopefully.

"My friends are on their way right now, including Wulf," Danny explained. "We'll be able to pop into the Ghost Zone, raid Walker's prison, and save Barry."

"The Ghost Zone?" Caitlin's brow knit in confusion.

"You're taking your human friends with you?" Maddie questioned with a glare.

"You say 'raid the prison' like it's no big deal," Jazz stated with a judgmental look of her own.

"Okay, in order…" Danny stood. He faced Caitlin first.

"The Ghost Zone is a plain of existence where ghosts live and that is where Walker took Barry because that's where his prison is."

Next, he turned to his mother. "Yes, my friends are human and they've been in the Ghost Zone before so it's nothing they can't handle. Furthermore, in the Ghost Zone, humans are the ghosts, so to speak, in that they can pass through stuff there."

"Jazz," Danny paused for a breath as he reminded himself how to handle his sister, "I appreciate your concern, but it will be fine. I've broken in to Walker's prison before. Twice actually. Well, the first time I was technically breaking out…"

Jazz's expression went from annoyed and concerned to even more annoyed and more concerned.

"But that is beside the point," Danny tried to recover, "It will be fine."

Jazz folded her arms, giving no sign of agreement.

"Lastly, you," Danny spun around to address Cisco.

"Me? I didn't say anything," the Puerto Rican replied, throwing his hands in the air with an incredulous look.

"Yeah, but you're asking plenty," Danny said pointedly.

"What? I'm just-" A new sound from the computer cut him off.

Danny, Cisco, and Caitlin faced the monitor together.

"It matched your DNA," Caitlin explained quietly.

Cisco took control and clicked over to the results. He fervently began scanning the page, but turned when he felt eyes on him.

Danny was giving him a "Really, dude?" kind of glare and Caitlin was looking equally accusatory.

"Curious, I was just curious," Cisco explained while backing away from the computer in a surrendering gesture.

Still scowling, Danny returned to his seat in front of the computer. He was both surprised, and not, to see the name "Fenton" was displayed boldly across the results page. However his presumably modified DNA had managed to still match with someone in his family he had no idea, but he didn't care to read the details. He closed the report, revealing Sam's messenger window with a new message.

OVER THE CITY NOW. WHERE ARE YOU ANYWAYS?

Danny typed back without delay.

STAR LABS

He then turned his gaze on Cisco, letting his eyes glow a little just for kicks. "I mean, do you want my social security number too? A copy of my last report card, maybe?"

The look on Cisco's face showed sincere remorse. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried."

"It's fine." Danny ran both hands through his hair and then down over his face. This was not how he ever imagined his secret coming out, especially to his parents.

"So," Maddie said, with a hand on her hip, "is he a felon?"

"Nope," Cisco quickly replied. "Squeaky clean. Just… the cleanest. And… a really great… kid."

"Great." Maddie repeated the word without meaning to. Her tone suggested she had lost her confidence.

Caitlin leaned in close so she could whisper to Cisco without anyone but Danny overhearing. "So just for fun let me get this straight, you thought he was romantically involved… with his sister."

Cisco rolled his eyes. "Just because he's related doesn't mean he's-"

"The teenage son who just so happened to miss lunch with his parents while Phantom was trapped in our cell?"

Cisco continued to glower. "Know-it-all."

Caitlin shot him a smug smile, but then they both turned back to Danny, who had sent Sam one last message.

LAND ON THE ROOF. I'LL BE UP IN A MINUTE.

The teen ghost turned to get up and found both scientists in his way, worried looks on their faces.

"Okay, can you not look at me like I'm a lost puppy?"

"Sorry. Again." Cisco blinked, but his expression remained the same.

"It's just," Caitlin whispered carefully, "Did they have anything to do with how you became-?"

"No, of course not." Danny's gaze fell to the ground. "They have no idea."

"And the reason you decided not to tell them would be?"

"Like you told your parents everything you were up to when you were a teenager?" Danny shot back.

"Yes." Caitlin made a 'duh' face.

"Because you were lame." Cisco shook his head. "It's ok, man, I feel ya." He gave Danny a nod and knowing look.

Danny sighed. "At first I was scared of how they would react, but after a while I guess it became more about them accepting Phantom for who he is on his own and not just because they found out he's also their son." He glanced over at his family now. His mom and Jazz seemed to be arguing, probably about how she and Phantom had become friends. "I don't know. Maybe that's dumb."

"No, it makes sense." Caitlin smiled sympathetically and squeezed Danny on the shoulder.

Danny returned the smile.

"So are you three going to have a therapy session or are we going to go get Barry?"

The trio looked up, surprised by Maddie's question.

"Uh," Danny stood, "I'm sorry, we?"

"You didn't expect us to let you go alone, did you?" Maddie raised an eyebrow. "We're the world's leading experts on ghosts and you're going into the Ghost Zone along with several humans who I'm sure are not as well-trained in ghost fighting as we are."

"Do you mean us," Cisco pointed at himself, "or his friends?"

Danny spun to face the scientists. "Oh now you're coming too?"

"Why wouldn't we come?" Caitlin asked defensively. "We're a part of Barry's team and he needs us."

"I'm sorry but I have to go with Maddie on this one," Danny crossed his arms, "It's way too dangerous a trip to bring this many people. It should just be my friends and me. Trust me, we know what we're doing. We can save Barry on our own."

"I thought the plan was to make a trade." Maddie once again looked skeptical.

Danny opened his mouth to respond, but instead let out a blue wisp of cold air.

Maddie mistook his hesitancy to respond as hurt. "I meant trade this Wulf person," she said, shifting her weight, "Obviously, I don't expect you to…"

Danny's eyebrows shot up in surprise at what his mother seemed to be saying. She trailed off though, just as Danny felt the unpleasantly slobbery feeling of a giant tongue running up the length of his arm and on to his face.

"Mi amico!" Wulf greeted once his tongue was back in his mouth.

"Ugh," Danny shook some slobber off his hand and side-eyed the wolf ghost who had materialized beside him, "It's great to see you too, pal."

He glanced around at the stunned expressions Wulf's sudden appearance had brought about. Maddie had stopped talking and seemed to be working on taking in the sight of the beast towering over them.

"It's ok," Danny assured the room. "He doesn't bite."

Wulf smiled a toothy grin.

"Is this…?" Caitlin let her question trail off.

"I don't know what I expected to be honest." Cisco folded his arms and let out a steady breath.

Danny smiled. "Wulf, say, 'Hi!'"

"Ha-hee-hiiieeee!" Wulf tried his best.

Danny gave his friend a pat on the shoulder. "We're working on that."

Cisco's and Caitlin's expressions softened, but Maddie still looked wary. Jack had put a protective arm around Jazz, who looked embarrassed and tried to casually shrug him off.

"That's not his only trick." Danny cleared his throat. "Wulf, we need to get to the Ghost Zone. We're going after Walker."

Wulf put his ears back and made a statement in Esperanza that included Walker's name.

"Is that Esperanza?" Cisco asked. "Because if so, I think he just called that Walker guy a very unpleasant name."

"It is, but that's not what I was trying to show you." Danny straightened and held his hands up like claws. "Portal making time, buddy." He wiggled his fingers to emphasize his request.

"Si." Wulf held up a paw and his green razor sharp claws suddenly extended.

"Whoa." Cisco watched with fascination, while the rest of the room seemed to take a collective step back.

Wulf gently dragged a single claw through the air in front of him, which seemed to stretch and rip like a curtain. Reality itself appeared to tear apart to reveal the green swirling depths of the Ghost Zone.

Danny smiled in satisfaction as he heard his parents gasp in amazement. He then faced the group with renewed confidence. "If you're all going to insist on tagging along, I need you armed and ready. Walker's prison will have guards lurking around every corner. I'm not going to be able to keep an eye on every one of you at all times."

The room had gone silent, perhaps due to astonishment over Wulf's display of his unique talent, but the silence took on new meaning when Danny started talking – a sort of attentive quiet, as if he were a general and they were his soldiers.

"We can't let Walker have Wulf. He only wants him so that he can use his power for his own greedy purposes and he will use any means necessary to do so." Danny looked at his friend with a pained expression. "Including torture."

Wulf snorted and his tail whipped from side to side.

"I hope now that you've met Wulf, you'll understand why a trade is out of the question. In order to get Barry back, we have to attempt a full blown rescue, but if we all work together, then I think we can pull it off." Danny paused briefly, taking a minute to survey the room. "There's no pressure to come, but if you're still willing… who's with me?"

Jack was the first to take a step forward. "Maddie and I have got more than enough weapons to go around." He looked back at his wife for support.

"We do," Maddie said, also coming forward, "and we can train anyone on how to use them in no time."

Cisco clapped his hands together. "Let's do this!"

"I'm in," Caitlin said with a nod.

Jazz shot an eyebrow up, creating a look that seemed to say, "I hope you know what you're doing, little brother."

Danny shot her a confident grin. "Alright, good," he said, surveying the room one more time, "I think I've got a plan."

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Like I said, it was fun to write so I hope it was equally fun to read. Let me know :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Negotiations

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and apologies that this update took a bit longer than anticipated! It's looking like there will be only one chapter after this so enjoy!**

The cold metal barrel of an Ecto-gun pushed into Danny's neck. It was soon accompanied by the soft tickle of Caitlin's uneven breaths, sending an involuntary shiver up Danny's spine. His hands shook briefly, rattling the chain connecting the cuffs around his wrists.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Caitlin," Danny whispered back on a steady breath. "Stick to the plan. I'm your hostage, remember?"

Cisco shot the pair a concerned look from his place a few feet away; his stance was wide, the Fenton Bazooka strapped heavily across his back.

He stood next to Wulf, who shifted his weight. His paws were cuffed in front of him, but his ears were alert.

"Right, sorry." Caitlin resumed her position further away from Danny, her weapon still drawn and aimed at his back.

"Captors don't apologize," Danny thought, but did not dare say aloud and risk being overheard by Walker's guards.

They were standing at the gate of the prison, waiting for permission to enter, having made it there quite easily thanks to Wulf's portal. Once within sight, they had arranged into formation: Caitlin behind Danny, Cisco with Wulf, and his parents providing extra support from the rear.

It had taken a lot of explaining, as well as a bribe from his wallet, but Danny had been able to convince Sam and Tucker to stay behind in Central City to be his back up in case their rescue attempt went awry. He had also suggested Jazz remain with "his friends" (he had made sure to keep their identities a secret for now) and his parents had eagerly backed him up on this, despite her protests.

"Hey…" Cisco whispered to his colleague. When Caitlin turned to face him, he bobbed his head and mouthed, "Who ya gonna call?"

Caitlin rolled her eyes, but a small smile played across her lips.

Cisco, confident that his humor had helped put his friend at ease, returned to glaring at the guards floating at the entrance to the giant structure before them. Internally, he was still in awe over this new realm, but also amused. Who knew ghost jail would be so… pink?

"They may enter," a guard said to another, breaking Cisco from his reverie, "but only if they surrender their weapons."

"We already told you," Cisco yelled to the guards, not bothering to wait for them to address him directly, "we, the _humans_ , have brought these ghosts as our captives to negotiate the release of the human the Warden took. We have to remain armed for our own safety."

Danny tried his best to look sullen, though inside he was beaming with pride. Cisco had taken to his role very well.

"Now are you going to let us in or what?" The question came out more as an order, than a request.

The guards whispered to one another. Danny held his breath as he heard Caitlin shift her position uneasily. She looked to Maddie and Jack, who gave her encouraging nods. This would work.

"Alright," one of the guards said, coming forward, "you will be escorted inside and you may keep your weapons for now in order to provide us with extra coverage for the prisoners."

Cisco gave a satisfied nod. "Then lead the way."

The gang followed the guards through the gates and into the prison building. They weaved through the halls, passing rows of empty cells.

Danny was glad to see that the cells were not filled. It seemed all of Walker's efforts were focused on him and Wulf as of late.

They finally arrived at a larger room with a single cell surrounded by guards. Walker was there as well and seemed to be expecting them.

"Barry!" Cailtin exclaimed when she saw her friend was the sole occupant of the cell.

"Caitlin, Cisco!" Barry rose to greet them. His grin faded as he looked with confusion at the group gathered before him, noticing the weapons drawn and aimed at Danny. Broad white shoulders suddenly blocked his view.

"What is this?" Walker bellowed, disapproval clear in his tone. "Why are these humans armed?"

"Sir, they-" one guard stuttered to reply, but Cisco took charge once again.

"We explained to your guards that we have come to negotiate with you. We have brought the ghosts you wanted and we are willing to hand them over to you in exchange for our friend."

Walker raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that so?" He placed his arms behind his back and approached Cisco slowly. "How brave of you to take on these two scoundrels in order to meet my demands. They must have put up quite the fight."

Cisco's confidence wavered for the first time. "They… did. But there are more of us… as you can see. So…"

"So let's get on with the negotiations," Walker said, with a smirk, motioning for a guard with a silver briefcase. The guard presented the briefcase to the Warden, who produced from it a circular metal band. "We can trade one at a time, starting with the boy," he said, red eyes flicking to Caitlin's "captive."

Danny didn't react aside from continuing to glare at his foe. He had recognized the torture device right away: a shock collar. Intimidating, but predictable. He knew how Walker operated. The rest of his group however, did not, and had gone still at this turn of events. He had not prepared them for this.

"I snap this on the punk and you can have the scientist." Walker seemed to be challenging them, seeing how far they would take the charade. "Then, I put the matching device on Wulf and you all get to stroll out of here unharmed and without having to fire those pretty weapons. Now does that sound fair or what?"

Cisco opened and shut his mouth as if grasping for a reply that would not come. Caitlin turned and again looked worriedly at the Fenton's.

"Alright." The decision came from Maddie, who was highly aware that the longer they hesitated, the more obvious it became that they had no intentions of handing over either of the two ghosts.

Danny realized this as well, but he still felt his heart rate accelerate at his mother's consent to essentially hand him over to be tortured.

"But," she added sharply, "you must first show us Barry up close so that we can see he is completely unharmed." To punctuate the statement, she placed a hand on her cocked hip, which happened to put it close to the Ectogun on her belt.

"I told you before that no harm would come to the hostage." Walker lifted his chin. "Now I'm getting the feeling that we don't trust each other and I see no reason for that… unless you're up to something."

It was said more as an accusation than anything and everyone in the room seemed to understand that. The guards subtly readied their weapons.

Cisco looked at Danny, who gave a curt nod. It was now or never. With a flick of his wrist, Cisco had Wulf out of his handcuffs.

The guards reacted quickly, charging Danny. With a grunt, he allowed them to tackle him to the ground. They didn't even notice his eyes turning ice blue. Before they had time to realize what was happening they were blue too and frozen solid. Danny allowed ghost energy to build in his palms and then released it in one fluid motion that not only blasted the iced over guards off of him, but also sliced through his handcuffs.

He looked around to survey the battle now raging around him.

Wulf covered Cisco, allowing him to build up the slow, but powerful, shots of the Bazooka and aim them expertly at the groups of guards swarming in through the door.

Jack used his large form to shield Caitlin while she shot her Ectogun and he whipped about the Jack o'9 Tails. Neither had the best aim, but they were managing to hold their own.

Maddie meanwhile had wasted no time in pulling out her double-edged ghost fighting stick and she used it to make her way through the guards surrounding Barry's cell. Though she was probably the least likely to need someone to watch her back, Danny found himself moving in her direction, taking out guards along the way.

He reached the cell moments after her. "This lock doesn't even have a hole for a key," Maddie said, tugging at the door to the cell in frustration.

"It probably responds to ghost energy," Danny explained. He moved to assist her, but Barry stopped them with a wave of his hand.

"It's alright, guys," he said, "I got this."

The two could only stare in amazement as Barry moved through the bars using his speed.

"I'm sorry I kept my identity from you, Maddie," he said, standing before her. "It seems silly now, introducing myself to you as the Flash and then later as, well, me." He shrugged sheepishly. "I don't know what you must think of me."

"I think you're a brilliant young man with amazing abilities," Maddie said matter-of-factly.

Danny, who had been listening while simultaneously blasting guards, felt a lump in his throat and had to cough to suppress the rising emotions that caught him off guard.

Maddie took his cough as a reminder that they were in the middle of a fight. She extracted a Wrist-Ray from her belt and attached it to Barry's wrist. "Aim and fire," she instructed.

Barry nodded and took off into the fray at lightning speed causing a gust of wind to hit both Maddie and Danny.

"Astonishing," Maddie said, tucking her hair back behind her ears before also rejoining the fight.

Feeling bothered, as well as annoyed at himself for feeling bothered, Danny huffed and turned just in time to face Walker coming at him. Two guards suddenly appeared, pinning him on either side.

"Easy now, Ghost Kid," Walker cooed. "This is for your own good."

"Oh yeah?" Danny froze the guards holding him and shoved them aside. "Wish I could say the same about what I'm gonna do to you." His eyes blazed.

"Go ahead, make my day," Walker returned.

The reference was lost on Danny and did not deter him as he flew towards his foe at full speed, glowing fists outstretched in front of him. Anticipating the move, Walker ducked and grabbed his approaching prey by the neck. Danny felt the hold around him close with a soft click as cold metal met his bare skin.

"Huh?" he practically choked as he was released and dropped to the ground with an "oomph." His hands flew to his neck, confirming what he already knew. Walker had managed to get the collar on him.

The warden stood over him, triumphant. "Try that on for size, punk." He laughed at his own joke.

Seeing red, Danny got to his feet and began taking in deep breaths, building up his lung capacity in preparation of releasing his Ghostly Wail. "You're going to regret that," he said through clenched teeth.

Walker merely chuckled. "I probably should mention-"

He was cut off as Danny unleashed his powerful scream, the blast nailing Walker to the closest wall, but the stream of energy was short-lived.

As soon as the first wave of energy left his body, Danny was rocked by an electric shock that consumed him completely. He dropped to his knees; his hands hit the ground. The rest of his Wail died in his throat, which gasped for air.

As his breathing slowly returned to normal, he became aware of the silence surrounding him. Everyone had stopped fighting at the sound of his attempted Wail and was now watching the confrontation between the jailer and his prisoner.

Walker dusted himself off and strode over to the weakened hero. "The collar responds to ghost energy being emitted in any form so unless you want more painful electricity coursing through your veins I suggest you surrender."

Staring at the ground, Danny seemed to be at that point. His mind raced with possibilities, but his body was telling him that it needed more time to recover. He turned and looked over his shoulder, hoping to meet the eyes of the one person he knew might understand. He was in luck.

In a flash, Barry was next to him, lifting him to his feet and supporting most of his weight. The next thing Danny knew, he was leaning against Cisco instead.

"I got you, bro," the Latino assured him.

Caitlin reached out from behind them and gave Danny's shoulder a squeeze.

Danny, his throat still feeling raw, nodded in gratitude.

They all watched as Barry skid to a stop in front of Walker.

"Ready for round two, tough guy?" he taunted.

"With you?" Walker smirked. "What do you even-"

Before he could finish asking the question, Barry had sped around the room and collected every guard present and deposited them into his former prison cell.

Walker's mouth hung open.

Barry admired his own handiwork for a moment before turning to the warden. "You know, I think you're forgetting about a hero's greatest strength… his team." He shot a wink at Danny. "And dude, Phantom's team has yours beat by a long shot!"

"Yeah!" Cisco whooped and pumped his fist in the air. The others stood behind him and Danny in solidarity; Jack and Maddie with raised weapons and Wulf with bared claws.

Walker responded by clearing his throat and giving Barry a scrutinizing glare. "So that's your power then? You run?"

Barry gave a casual shrug as he thought up a reply, but Walker continued.

"Very well then… run." With that, the warden turned on his heel and began speaking into his radio. "All units report to the gate. I repeat all units…" He vanished just as he reached the hallway.

Danny heaved in a breath and clutched his chest. "I think… he's giving us a chance to go and we better take it." He grabbed on to Barry's shoulder as the young man approached the rest of the group. "Humans can go through stuff in the Ghost Zone, which means you all should be able to run straight through the prison walls and out of here to safety."

"But I've been outside," Barry said, "there's nothing but green space and the prison is- wait, Ghost Zone?"

"Yes, it will be fine. By now my friends should be on their way with a way to get us back to the Human World. Now hurry!" Danny shoved Cisco and Barry towards his parents and Cailtin, who were closest to the nearest wall.

"Wait!" Cisco looked worriedly between Danny and Wulf. "What about you guys?"

"Being ghosts, we have to take the long way, but it's okay, we'll meet you out there."

Wulf growled in agreement, readying his claws for the guards they were sure to encounter along their way through the halls of the prison.

"But you can't fight using your ghost powers!" Caitlin protested.

Danny shrugged, taking an Ecto-gun offered by Cisco. "Guess I'll have to fight using my human ones then." He winked at his new friends before shouting at them to go one more time.

This time they obeyed.

 **A/N: Again, thank you to my reviewers! There have not been many of you this time around so you are EXTRA appreciated! :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Change

**A/N: Thanks again to all my wonderful reviewers! Couldn't do it without ya! ;)**

"I don't get it." Cisco scanned their surroundings with a furrowed brow. "We heard Ghost Cop instruct his guards to report to the gate, but not a single one is out here."

The group was standing outside of the giant entryway, where they (minus Barry) had passed through not so long ago, the only difference being that the massive doors were now shut tight without a single guard patrolling them.

"They must all be on the other side," Barry deduced, "thinking they would cut us off at the exit."

Maddie frowned. "They know we're human; they had to know we wouldn't bother using the doors since we don't have to."

Cisco snorted. "Yeah, but they don't strike me as being the brightest ghosts in the Zone."

"I don't think they really care about us," Caitlin spoke up. "The Warden made it pretty clear he really just wants Phantom and Wulf."

"I think you're right, Caitlin," Barry said. He crossed his arms and faced the double doors looking determined. "We have to help Phantom." He glanced back at the rest of the group. "I saw the scan. I know he's not just a ghost."

The five scientists looked solemn.

"Maybe I can run back in and-"

"No." It was Jack who cut Barry off, surprising everyone, as up until now he had been fairly quiet. "If you're going back, then we all are. It's like you said earlier." He smiled good-naturedly. "We're a team."

Maddie smiled and patted her husband on the arm supportively.

As if on cue, a blast erupted just on the other side of the gate. Barry threw another look around the group to establish they were all in agreement before racing back through the towering prison wall. The rest of the group followed.

As soon as they had seen the last of their human party exit through the prison wall, Danny and Wulf had headed for the hallway and begun making their way through the maze of cells. There were a few guards to take out along the way, but it seemed that most had responded to Walker's instructions and were gathering for a standoff at the prison gates.

Danny wiped sweat from his brow as he tried to keep up with his four-legged friend. It wasn't that Wulf was faster than him – he just had the advantage of not having a shock collar buzzing around his neck, threatening to go off at the slightest emission of ghost energy.

Feeling more than a bit sluggish, Danny was also beginning to think that the device was somehow draining energy from him. If it weren't for the fact that reverting to his human half required a push of ghost energy that the collar would undoubtedly react to, he may have already done so in order to give his ghost half a break. Not to mention the fact that his human half would have no trouble getting through the prison walls. But then, where would that leave Wulf? Plus… it would mean exposing his identity to his parents.

He shot at a guard as they rounded a corner, but simultaneously took a hit to the shoulder from the guard's baton. The guard crumbled and Danny went down as well, feeling a stab of electricity as his ghost energy attempted to heal him from the wound. He closed his eyes and tried to will his energy to simply let it be for now. There would be time to heal later. It seemed to work as his shoulder still ached, but the sharp pricks of the collar ceased.

When he opened his eyes, Wulf was staring down at him, eyes shining with concern. "Mi amico… recense…"

"I know I should change forms, buddy, but I can't." Sitting up with a grunt, Danny looked down at his gloved hands. "I mean I can, but… I'm not sure I'm ready."

Danny took a moment to reflect on the past couple hours: his parents finding out Phantom is half-human, their show of trust by following him into the Ghost Zone, fighting together… maybe it was time for them to know.

Wulf let out a small whimper in a show of sympathy. He then crouched before Danny, offering him a ride on his back. Danny smiled and hoisted himself up, thanking the creature in his native tongue before urging him onward.

They sped through the twists and turns of the prison until finally they reached the wide clearing that stood between them and the final gate. Guards lined the premises and Walker stood at the center with an expression of displeasure.

Wulf took cover behind a stack of crates as guards immediately started firing at them. Danny hopped off and crouched as well. "All we gotta do," he said, "is make it to the other side of that gate. Then we're home free, buddy." Wulf grunted in acknowledgment.

"Alright." Danny checked the power level on his Ecto-gun and cursed to himself. Twelve percent wasn't going to get him very far. He surveyed the scene before them again, peeking around the corner of their makeshift shield. There were a few other random stacks of supply crates, but none stacked high enough to get them over the final wall. Then, he saw them – two transport vans parked right up against the gate. Perfect.

Barry and the others phased through the gate and found themselves surrounded by chaos. Judging from the debris to their left, the blast they heard had been some sort of explosion that had left boxes of supplies in green flames. Guards were running in every direction; some seemed injured, while others fought to put out the fire, green smoke billowing in their faces.

"You idiots!" The group turned their attention to the source of the angry yell. "It's a distraction! They're getting away!" Walker was livid, as his shouts could not be heard over the confusion. He began heading in the opposite direction of the blaze.

Quickly scanning ahead, Barry saw his destination. Danny and Wulf were climbing on top of the transport van that had brought him here and Walker had spotted them.

"Over there!"

The rest of the team was left to connect the dots for themselves as Barry took off towards the vans.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Danny didn't need to turn around to know that Walker had caught on to their plan. Exploding the Ecto-gun had been enough of a distraction for the guards, but not the warden. At least they had made it to the top of the van and could clear the gate quite easily from here, but Danny knew what was coming.

"Wulf, go, please!" Danny pleaded with his friend to take this opportunity of freedom and leave him. At the edge of the van, Wulf peered over and let out a whine. "I'll be fine! Tucker and Sam are coming with the Speeder. Just-argh!"

Danny fell to his knees as electricity overtook him, pricking and stabbing all over his body. Luckily, the attack was brief. He lifted himself with both hands and looked down over the side of the truck at Walker, who was holding a remote.

"Manual mode," he explained flatly. "Now both of you will join me on the ground to be taken into custody or there will be more where that came from."

"Go," Danny hissed to Wulf.

"Recense!" Wulf instructed before leaping off the truck and over the gate.

"Recense," Danny agreed softly. He got to his feet and jumped down from the truck, landing in a crouched position with one hand on the ground. He looked up in confusion to see Walker with his back to him, hands in the air.

He stepped around the still warden to find that his parents, Caitlin, Cisco, and Barry were all aiming weapons at Walker.

"You guys!" Danny was caught off guard. "I told you to get out of here!"

"You're not the only hero here," Barry reminded him. "That means you don't have to make the sacrificial play."

"We're here for you, man," Cisco added.

"No member of our team is getting left behind," Maddie chimed in, with a small grin.

His dad nodded and smiled as well. "You're some ghost, kid."

Warmth. All Danny could feel was warmth flooding through him. He decided he was ready for this; and, by the looks of the approaching guards, it was now or never. He closed his eyes and reached for the warmth that was his human half, while also bracing himself for the pain the collar was sure to bring in response to the energy he emitted in order to change. But to his surprise, all he got was one single fleeting jolt, as the power of the collar seemed to leave along with his ghost half.

He opened his eyes to varying expressions of shock and awe.

"Dude..." Cisco was the closest to complete awe. "That. Is too cool."

"Danny?" His mother breathed his name in as if on the verge of sobbing.

"Sorry, but we have to move now!" Danny pointed to the mob of guards coming up behind them. Having gotten over the shock of the explosion, many of them had realized the fire's potential and were now armed with flaming torches as well as their batons.

"Through the wall! We can all go through now!"

His team, though reeling (some more than others), obeyed and ran through the wall to their immediate right.

Danny waited until everyone was through before risking one last glance at Walker, but with a look around he realized the warden was gone.

"That can't be good," he muttered to himself as he phased through the gate. On the other side, everyone was waiting for him.

"What's wrong? You look worried." Caitlin immediately took notice.

"Walker was gone when I turned around," Danny explained, "but I don't think he would let us get away that easily."

"I wouldn't exactly call what we just did easy," Cisco pointed out as he bent over to catch his breath.

Others murmured in agreement.

"We need to start moving," Danny said, scanning their surroundings. "Maybe we could-"

"Look out!" Suddenly Barry was in front of Danny, holding a metal object inches from his face. "What… is this?" he asked, examining the device he had caught milliseconds before it would have collided with Danny's nose. "A boomerang?"

"Hey, that's…" Jack trailed off as he began to connect the dots. "Mine."

"It's a tracking device." Danny took the Boo-oo-merang from Barry and smiled. "And it means our way home is here."

"Over there!" Caitlin pointed and everyone watched in awe as the Specter Speeder soared into view.

The craft came to an ungraceful stop, swerving so the door was facing the stranded group as it slid open.

"Whoa!" Cisco was nodding his head in appreciation. "Sweet ride."

"That," Jack said, crossing his arms and eyeing his son, "is also mine."

Danny merely rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly.

"Is it safe?" Caitlin asked, looking skeptical.

"The vehicle itself, yes," Danny replied as everyone started making their way closer, "The people inside are another story."

"Wait, what?" Barry stopped short of the rest of the group.

"Sorry, not like that, just, you'll see." Danny urged the speedster along and waited while everyone else boarded. Then, with a deep breath, he entered as well.

 **A/N: Apologies for the short chapter! The good news is that this means that there will either be more than just one more chapter OR it will be a really big finale chapter. Working on it now! :)**


	6. Chapter 6: Flight

**I thought I was writing the final chapter but somehow this scene got dragged out. So I guess next chapter will be the finale! lol Enjoy :)**

"Three hours!" Jazz was immediately in her younger brother's face. "Would you care to explain to me why you told Sam and Tucker we should wait three hours before coming in after you, but you told me we could come after just one?"

"Yeah and while you're at it," Sam jumped in, scowling from her seat on the pilot's bench, "you could also apologize for leaving us in a strange town with nothing but your worry-wart sister and a gift card for frozen yogurt."

Tucker huffed in agreement from his place next to her. "That thing only had, like, two dollars on it, man. Not cool."

As he closed the door to the Speeder, Danny exchanged a look with Cisco and Barry. "Team Flash, meet Team Phantom," he deadpanned.

Cisco shivered. "Teenagers, man."

Sam turned around to continue her tirade.

"Are you even listening to-" The rest of the words died on her lips as she took in the sight of her best friend not in his ghost form and surrounded by a bunch of strangers. His parents were also there in the back of the Speeder, looking uncomfortable.

Alarmed by the goth's uncharacteristic silence, Tucker surveyed the scene as well. "Oh. We have company."

But the unfamiliar faces were less important to Sam than Danny's condition as she had spotted the device around his neck.

"Danny… what is that?" She asked the question as if she feared the answer.

"Huh?" Danny looked down and felt the collar move with him. "Oh." His hand instinctively moved to scratch the back of his neck, but that only brought more attention to his predicament as it brushed the metal of the collar and he jerked his hand away. "You know… Walker…"

Sam blinked, but did not take her eyes off Danny. "Tucker…"

"I'm on it." The techno geek began rummaging in his backpack and pulling out tools. "Come sit, dude. We'll have that off in no time."

Danny took a step closer to his friends, but kept his stance open so the rest of the group didn't feel excluded. "I appreciate it, guys, but we've got bigger problems right now. We need to get as far away from here as possible."

"Fine," Sam turned back to the controls. "I can drive while Tucker works on… the thing."

"Wait, do you hear that?" Barry stepped forward and craned his neck to peer out the curved glass front of the Speeder. "It sounds like…"

"Sirens!" Danny hopped over the back of the front seat and shoved Sam aside just as the prison gates opened and squad cars began spilling out.

Sam had no choice but to relinquish the controls as Danny threw the Speeder in gear. Pushing it to maximum speed, he took off in the opposite direction of the approaching onslaught. The Speeder soared through the murky green of the Zone, jerking every so often as its new pilot attempted to dodge blasts coming from their pursuers.

"Do you see now why I wanted to get moving?" he muttered to Sam.

"Well excuse me for being distracted by the torture device around your neck."

"It's fine. It only goes off when I use my powers."

"Is that why you're…?"

"Mm hm."

"So do your parents…?"

The two teens shared a look.

Suddenly, Cisco's face was between them. "Look, I'm sorry to interrupt whatever this," he paused to gesture back and forth, "is, but your tech guy passed this job on to me and he said that you two could go back and forth all day."

Sam and Danny instantly blushed and looked away from each other.

"Alright cool." Cisco took this as permission to proceed and leaned in closer to Danny, tools in hand.

At that moment, the Speeder took a hit, jostling its occupants.

Danny grit his teeth and tightened his hold on the controls, keeping the craft as steady as possible. Cisco gave him a minute, but then continued his work on the collar.

"You guys closed the portal, right?" Danny asked Sam, who nodded in the affirmative.

Barry heard and approached the back of the pilot's bench. "Wait, you had your friends close the portal?"

Danny answered while keeping his eyes forward and his head still so Cisco could continue working. "Had to. Trust me, there are more than a few ghosts who would love to get their hands on the equipment you've got in that lab."

"Oh, thanks. That's good then." Barry scratched his head. "But how are we going to get back to the Human World?"

"There's a portal at my house," Danny explained. "It's just a bit farther away."

The Speeder took a sharp dive and everyone held on until Danny was able to right them again.

"So we just have to beat Walker to your portal and get there in one piece?" Barry continued, holding the bench for support.

"Oh no," Danny replied in a grave tone, "I didn't say we were running away. We still have to end this and believe me, once this collar's off, I will."

Barry nodded understandingly. "What can I do in the meantime? There's gotta be something I can do to help."

"I have a theory. You feel like being the test subject? I know that's not normally your gig."

The two heroes locked eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Lay it on me."

"You still have your speed here – I mean, it worked when you were running through the prison, but humans can also float in the Ghost Zone so with your speed I'm thinking..."

"I could fly?" Barry finished the thought, but sounded unsure. He looked down at himself, examining the jeans and sweater he had chosen to change into this afternoon after they had caught Danny. It felt weird doing hero work without his suit.

"Am I reaching?" Danny asked.

Barry blinked as if returning from a daydream. "No, your logic is sound."

Cisco snorted. "Sound in Ghost Land, maybe."

Tucker nudged his new acquaintance. "Alternate dimensions. You get used to it."

Cisco glanced up from his work. "Oh, you think this is our first time in an alternate reality? That's cute."

Caitlin whacked her colleague. "Don't be rude."

Barry remained lost in thought during this exchange until he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Maddie holding a folded piece of clothing out to him. Without saying anything he took her offering, letting the fabric fall loose to reveal that it was an orange jumpsuit not unlike the one her husband wore.

"Don't worry," Jack Fenton appeared beside his wife, "it's not mine. It will fit." He gave the young man a friendly wink.

"It's not red," Maddie added, "but it might be more comfortable than what you're wearing."

Barry smiled appreciatively. In an instant, he changed into the jumpsuit. It fit snugly, though not in a way that would limit him from moving and the fabric certainly felt more durable than his street clothes.

Giving a final tug to the zipper at his neck, he approached the door of the Speeder. "Okay, let's give this a shot."

Danny flicked his gaze to the rearview mirror to give Barry final instructions, but found he was at a loss for words when he saw what his fellow hero was now wearing.

Tucker had also taken notice of the quick change and was starting to piece things together. "Oh, so when you said he had speed…" He looked carefully from Danny to Barry. "You meant like…"

"The Flash," Barry held out as his hand. "I'm the Flash."

Tucker shook the offered hand, without losing his look of wonder. "I had one of your lattes," he finally managed to blurt out. "It was good!"

Barry laughed just as the Speeder took an abrupt dive.

"Tuck!" Danny shouted, turning to glare at his best friend, which caused Cisco to have to swivel around him.

"Right. Sorry, let me get that for you." The techie moved to open the door of the Speeder.

"Wait!" Danny called out to Barry. Again, they met eyes in the mirror. "Play defense for now," he instructed. "We'll switch to offense once I join you. Sound good?"

Barry gave a thumbs-up before turning to the door, which Tucker then opened. All anyone saw after that was an orange streak as the meta-human sped out and took flight in the Ghost Zone. Danny's theory was proven true as an orange blur, crackling with yellow electricity, circled around the speeder, like a planet in orbit. Every time a blast attempted to knock them off course, Barry was there to block it with energy of his own.

"Sweet!" Tucker beamed at Cisco, who returned the smile, unable to resist joining in on the enthusiasm.

"Score for the good guys," he said, giving the teen a high-five.

With the Speeder protected, Danny was able to relax some and he let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

"So what's up with you and your parents and this Barry guy?" Sam asked.

Danny felt himself tense again. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that."

"I really don't know what you're asking, Sam."

"I saw your face when you saw him in a Fenton jumpsuit. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous."

"Me? Jealous? Of the Red Wonder? Like that makes any sense. I have way more powers than he does."

"Uh huh… but maybe not as many adoring fans…"

Sam paused and watched as Danny's expression turned pensive.

"Or maybe it's just two of his fans in particular that bother you."

Danny sighed in resignation. "I thought I'd feel better once they accepted Phantom as a good guy, which they pretty much did right before I revealed it was me, but being around the Flash makes me feel like they're looking at him and thinking 'Why couldn't our son be more like him, a hero _and_ still human?'"

Sam mirrored her friend's sad countenance, understanding what it meant to feel like you don't measure up to your parents' expectations, unfair as they may be. She liked being different, but she knew Danny didn't always have an easy time with it. Sometimes he needed a little help remembering that his powers made him special and that that was actually a good thing.

"So the Flash… he's 100% human?" She asked.

"Uh…" Danny turned to throw her a look of confusion. "I mean he's got like mutated DNA or something, but, yeah, technically still human."

"Hmph." Sam shrugged, like that bored her. "How normal of him. Being 100% human is _so_ overrated." She smirked and turned to see Danny smiling at her.

"Don't worry, your folks will get used to it," she said in a more serious tone.

Danny continued to grin at her.

"Probably should have said something earlier," Cisco was once again easing his way between the two blushing teenagers, "but I kinda just thought you would notice that I removed the shock collar…"

Danny's hand flew to his neck to feel that the collar was indeed gone. Wow, was he that distracted by Sam? He decided not to analyze that right now. "Cisco, thanks, you rock!"

"Don't mention it." The Latino shrugged as if he didn't enjoy the praise. "I mean I was working with some junk tools, but…"

"Hey!" Tucker glared from behind his glasses.

"Kid," Cisco said, coming to put an arm around his fellow geek, "let me tell you about a little something called grant funding and the wonderful toys you can buy with it."

"You good to take over?" Danny asked Sam, already scooting over for her.

Sam answered by moving into position to take his place. In doing so, she realized Cisco had left the removed collar on the seat between them. She picked it up and offered it to Danny with a quizzical expression.

Hesitating briefly, Danny took the device and shared a look with Sam. "Guess I should return this to its rightful owner." It came out sounding more like a question than a statement.

Sam opened her mouth to reply, but then closed it, unsure of what to say. She met Danny's gaze, as he still seemed to be looking to her for guidance. "Do what you think is right, Danny."

He replied with a curt nod and then turned, changing into his ghost form as he went to cross the small cabin space to the door of the Speeder.

A hand dropped on to his shoulder unexpectedly. As it happened to be the shoulder that took the hit from the guard's baton and the wound had still not had time to heal, Danny reacted out of reflex and winced away from the contact.

He looked up just in time to see his father's expression turn from hopeful to hurt. Immediately realizing how his reaction must have been misinterpreted, Danny fumbled to explain himself. "Dad! Sorry, I just- that wasn't-"

"It's ok, son," Jack tried to recover his expression and awkwardly cleared his throat, "I just wanted you to know that I'm proud of you." He put a hand on his wife's shoulder instead. "We both are."

"You are?" Danny blinked, caught a bit off-guard. "I mean, thanks."

His mother smiled, but it seemed strained. "Please be careful?" Worry shone in her eyes.

"I will." Danny couldn't help but shoot Jazz a knowing grin. "I'm always careful."

Jazz scowled. "How bad is your shoulder?"

His smile dropped.

"You're hurt?" Maddie took a careful step towards him.

"It's nothing." Danny waved off the concern. "I really need to go help Barry." He vanished before anyone could question him further.

 **Reviews will motivate me to write faster ;)**


	7. Chapter 7: Acceptance

**A/N: Writing is so weird, guys. I had nothing for months (as you know) and then I literally sat down and wrote this in the past 2 days lol Enjoy!**

Barry zipped along the side of the Specter Speeder just in time to block a shot sent from one of the police cruisers closely following the craft. After his own kinetic energy successfully clashed with, and dissipated, the ghost energy, he made the mistake of looking down. He had done this several times now, but the sight of his feet hanging mid-green-glowing-air did not get any easier to accept. His stomach lurched and he had to put a hand on the Speeder to steady himself. Luckily, it had come to a stop, though Barry did not know if that was a good sign or not.

With head down and eyes closed, he was startled by the chuckle and hand placed on his shoulder. Reacting quickly, Barry righted himself and found Danny giving him a half concerned, half amused, look.

"Flying not all its cracked up to be?" the half-ghost teenager quipped.

"I have to admit, it's weirding me out." Barry smiled. "Glad to see that's taken care of." He gestured to the collar in Danny's hand.

"Me too." Danny studied the device for a moment, seeming weighed down by something, but then he looked up at the other hero with a determined scowl. "Ready to end this?"

The Speeder shielded them for now, but they could only assume that Walker and his crew had stopped and were working on surrounding them.

Barry let go of the Speeder and tried to stand erect without thinking about the fact that his feet had nothing on which to stand, which meant his body had somehow exerted force on nothing yet he still managed to-

"Hey!" A gloved hand waved in front of his face, breaking Barry from his frantic speculating. He blinked hard to further clear his mind.

Danny was glaring at him. "I know that look. I live in a house full of scientists. Right now I need you to focus less on being a scientist and more on being The Flash."

"Sorry." Barry rolled his shoulders. "You're right, what's the plan?"

"I want to end this fast," Danny said, peering around the Speeder. "Can you get them closer together?"

Barry joined him and observed the way the guards had fanned out before them. "Sure, like herding cattle."

"Exactly," he gestured to where a white jeep was parked, "and get Walker as close to the center of the herd as you can."

The tall ghost warden emerged from the jeep, a pink mega-phone in hand. "Come out with your hands up, punks," he spoke into the device.

"I have to warn you," Danny's face was solemn as he turned back to Barry, "I'm only going to have one shot at this. If it doesn't take care of all of them, you may be on your own for a bit while I recharge."

Barry nodded.

"Sam may be able to provide some coverage using the ecto-guns on the Speeder, but it's taken a lot of damage and she's going to be watching the power gauge to make sure we have enough to get back."

"Got it, anything else?"

"Yeah," Danny looked at him with eyes glowing, "once you have them in position, get behind me and cover your ears."

"My ears?" Barry frowned, but Danny was already heading out to the clearing between the Speeder and Walker's force.

"Hands where I can see them," Walker barked.

Danny left the collar hooked to his belt and lifted his hands.

"The Streak too," Walker said, banging a fist against the hood of the jeep, "I want him where I can see him and still as a statue!"

Danny used his already raised arms to shrug. "The Streak?"

"The human," Walker growled, "the runner."

One hand to his chin, Danny pretended to ponder the demand. "Oh, you mean The Flash?"

Walker ground his teeth. "Where. Is. He."

At that moment, Barry tore out from behind the Speeder and began circling the crowd, forcing the guards closer to Walker with every lap.

"He's around," Danny replied with a smug smile. He began to power up for his Wail; using every second Walker took to analyze the situation to his advantage.

Just as the warden was about to respond, Danny released the energy, the first wave hitting with enough force to knock the majority of the guards unconscious. He closed his eyes and concentrated on emptying all he had into the blast of sound.

Being faster than sound, Barry saw the attack coming and did as Danny had told him. He then watched in awe as the auditory surge had a physical impact on the ghosts before him.

Walker was the only one still standing and he seemed to be trying to fight through the energy to lift the hand with the mega-phone in it.

Confused, Barry watched intently as the ghost hit a button on the gadget. Suddenly, another high-pitched sound pierced the air, slicing through Danny's ghostly howls. Pink energy radiated from the mega-phone and seemed to cut through the green waves of the Wail.

All too quickly, the pink beams reached Danny and he was thrown backwards against the Speeder, his Wail turning from a roar to a whimper.

Barry shot to his side just as the teen slipped back into his human form. "Danny?" He cursed as the body in his arms went limp. "C'mon, kid." Barry jostled him a bit to try to keep him conscious.

A shadow fell over them.

"All you have to do is hand him over, son," Walker said, baring his canines, "I'll let you and everyone else go. All charges dropped."

"No deal," Barry spat.

Walker scowled. "Not a good choice, Streak."

He had a way of making the name sound demeaning. Barry frantically tried to think through his options. Glancing down, he saw that Danny was holding the collar once again and his expression darkened.

"Remember our conversation about mercy," Walker grunted, "and my lack thereof?"

Barry kept his head down, but spoke evenly to the ghost. "If you're not going to show any, then neither will I."

He sprang forward, using his speed and the element of surprise to get up and behind the ghost in less than a second. With a definitive snap, he secured the collar around his foe's neck. The effect was almost immediate as the collar glowed to life as if feeding from the energy of its wearer. Walker was hit with an unceasing current of shocks that had him incapacitated and seizing in place.

Barry flew around him and back to Danny. Lifting him gently, he saw that the teen was still unresponsive, but he could feel him breathing, his chest gently expanding against Barry's grip. He wasted no more time in getting them to the Speeder where the door was being thrown open and hands ushered him inside. He took one last look at the ghost laid out and pulsating with electricity, clearly in the throws of excruciating pain, and turned away. The door shut behind him.

* * *

The first sensation Danny became aware of was a sound, a soft, but quick, tap tap tap…. Tap tap tap tap tap tap. He opened his eyes slowly and blinked until they properly focused.

The sound he was hearing was Cisco typing on a laptop, his concentration clearly set on the screen. Beside him, Caitlin was peering into a microscope, her attention also fixated.

Danny gently cleared his throat. "Either of you seen my phone?"

The two scientists instantly looked up from what they were doing.

"Look who decided to rejoin the living!" Cisco's face had broken into a wide grin that now turned to a grimace. "That's not offensive, right?"

Danny chuckled as he tried to sit up. "Only halfway."

Cisco smirked. "Still got the jokes."

"Easy, Danny, go slow." Caitlin rushed over to help him.

He realized he was on a cot in the basement/lab of his home, the portal visible to his left. The Specter Speeder was parked in front of it, looking like a kicked-around tin can.

Making it to a sitting position with Caitlin's help, he also noticed that he was wearing a crisp, clean shirt, under which he could feel a bandage tightly wound over his entire left shoulder and part of his arm. Caitlin picked up his right wrist and looked at her watch.

Danny waited patiently until she let go. Pulling a pen light from her pocket, she checked his pupils next.

"Your vitals seem fine," she said, "How do you feel?" Worry clear on her face.

"Honestly?" He placed his feet on the ground and, resting his elbows on his knees, let his head fall into his hands. "Like I was hit by a bus." He rubbed at his eyes. "No, wait, I've been hit by a bus. This is more like a hundred buses."

"How's your hearing?" Cisco asked.

"Fine."

"No ringing?"

Danny paused, and then shook his head no.

"That's a good sign." Caitlin relaxed some. "You remember what happened, right?"

"All I remember is I was using my Ghostly Wail, then something hit me. Hard." Danny scrunched up his face. "Am I supposed to know more?"

"According to Barry, you were definitely out after that," Caitlin assured him.

"And we're guessing you were too focused on your, uh… what did you call it? Ghost Wail?" Cisco frowned.

Danny nodded. "Ghostly Wail."

"C'mon, man," Cisco shook his head, "you gotta do better with naming stuff."

Caitlin and Danny exchanged annoyed glances.

"Banshee Shriek. Crypt Cry. Spirit Siren." Cisco held up his hands. "I could do this all day."

"And they would all still be terrible." Everyone turned to the source of the jab. Barry was taking the last few steps down into the basement.

"Agreed." Danny crossed his arms, shooting the Latino a look. "Can we go back to how it was earlier today? You know, when you weren't supposed to talk to me?"

Cisco's face fell. "That's cold."

"Is anybody ever going to fill me in on what happened?" Danny asked, gesturing around the room.

Barry cleared his throat. "I can, but first, let me go tell your family that you're up."

"I can do that," Caitlin offered, but before the words were even out of her mouth Barry had disappeared and reappeared, almost like he went invisible for a moment.

"And never mind," she stated quietly, returning to her microscope.

While Danny's family made their way to the lab, Barry explained how Walker had managed to counter the Ghostly Wail and then tried to get Barry to hand him over, leaving the hero no choice but to put the collar on the ghost warden.

"I hated leaving him like that, but I didn't see what else I could do," Barry finished with a heavy sigh.

"You did the right thing," Danny reassured him.

"I keep telling you, dude," Cisco rejoined the conversation, "that thing definitely short-circuited by now. Ghost Cop is probably already back to busting up ghost gangs and loving every minute of it."

"Or plotting his revenge," Danny offered, "but, sure, ghost gang busts seems more likely."

"Who's in a ghost gang?" Jazz was the first one down the stairs, but she was followed closely by both of her parents.

"Danny?" His mother practically shoved through the others to get to him.

"I'm okay, Mom," Danny said as she sat beside him on the cot and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Gave us quite the scare there, son." Jack placed his large hand gently against Danny's back. "Uh, no pun intended."

Danny smiled up at his father. "First rule of being a super hero, Dad, pun always intended."

Everyone laughed as relief spread through the lab. Sam and Tucker were the next to approach their friend, having hung back to allow his parents to take the lead.

Sam leaned against the wall beside his cot so she could speak to him without the rest of the group hearing. "So how are you really feeling?"

"Yeah man," Tucker came to stand with them and matched Sam's low tone, "an attack that packs a punch greater than your Ghostly Wail? That had to have hurt."

"I'm fine, guys, really," Danny waved off their concern.

"And how are you about…?" Sam flicked her eyes over to where Barry had engaged his parents in conversation.

Danny shrugged. "They seem to be accepting of me just the way I am." He looked up at his friends. "Guess I still need to work on being more accepting of myself."

Sam smiled, knowingly.

"Alright," Jack said, clapping his hands together, "we better get going if we're going to make it back to Star City tonight. The Fenton Jet is fast, but she can't bend the rules of time and space, unlike a certain someone." He elbowed Barry, with a wink.

Just then, a low whine cut through the room, fading out into a rumble.

"Uh," Danny chuckled, somewhat embarrassed, "Does that flight include dinner? I… missed lunch."

There was an awkward pause as everyone was briefly reminded how Danny had been imprisoned during lunch.

Cisco looked around at the guilty faces in defiance. "Somebody get the boy a pizza, for crying out loud! He's done more than enough to deserve one!"

The tension broke and everyone murmured their agreement.

"I'm on it!" Jack was the first up the stairs.

The rest of the group seemed to hang back, waiting to make sure Danny could get up on his own, which he did, but once all backs were turned, he faltered and reached out a steadying hand. It landed on the arm of the person nearest him, which happened to be Sam.

Color instantly spread to both teens' faces.

"Sorry, I, uh," Danny stammered, moving away his hand.

"It's okay." Sam put her hand over his to keep it there. "We both know you'll never make it up the stairs without me."

Danny looked ahead, worriedly. The stairs were quite daunting to him in his current state. He sighed in resignation and nodded, gripping her arm tighter instead of letting go.

"The fearless Phantom," Sam teased, as they made their way forward, "thwarted by a common household architectural design."

"Haha, very funny," Danny said, giving her a playful nudge that rocked him off balance more than it did her.

Sam laughed. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

Danny stuck his tongue out at her, but chuckled too.

Upon making it into the kitchen, Danny let go of Sam before anyone could see his struggle and went to lean against the counter. Barry quickly joined him.

"You know, you were on to something this afternoon," the young adult said, "about secret identities."

"Huh?" Danny tried to think back to his first encounter with Barry. It was hard to believe it was still the same day.

"You got on to me about my girlfriend not knowing mine," Barry reminded him.

"Oh, that," Danny rubbed the back of his neck, "I was just trying to get you to pay attention to me, it really wasn't any of my-"

"No, you were right," Barry cut him off. "It's wrong to keep the people who care about you in the dark about who you really are. Don't you feel better with your parents knowing the truth?"

Danny considered this for a moment, his eyes gliding over his parents, who were rushing around gathering supplies for the trip, and coming to rest on Sam. She was talking with Caitlin and Jazz, but turned, feeling his gaze on her, and shot him a small smile.

"It's nice knowing I won't have to sneak around anymore," Danny finally decided, "but I think it's always been more important to me that my friends knew."

Barry followed Danny's line of sight. "And maybe one friend more so than the other?"

Danny cocked a brow. "What are you implying?"

Barry put his hands up, apologetically. "Nothing, just thinking out loud."

The teen shifted his weight against the counter, while Barry thought for a moment.

"I guess what I'm getting at is this," he finally said, "As heroes, we're always really focused on being there for others, but what I'm learning is that we can't do that if we don't also have a couple people who are there for us."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, my friends do a lot for me." He flicked a glance at his fellow hero. "Before you decide to tell someone, I guess you have to be sure they can handle everything that comes with it." He shrugged then, not knowing how much his words hit home with Barry. "But I'm just a kid, what do I know?"

Barry had been listening to Danny with an intent stare, but now he quirked his lips. "I think we both know you're much more than that."

Danny returned the grin. "Pretty big compliment coming from The Flash."

It was Barry's turn to shrug. "I'm young too. And I haven't had my powers long. I'm sure I still have a lot to learn."

Danny let out a deep breath. "You and me both, dude."

* * *

Just over an hour later, the group was all aboard the jet and finishing the last of several extra-large pizzas. They were two members short as Sam and Tucker had to go home before their families grew concerned; plus there was really no need for them to travel back to Star City. The Fenton's, on the other hand, had luggage and the GAV to retrieve.

"So you can either ride home with me in the GAV or your father on the jet." Maddie proposed the options to her son as he took the last bite of his crust.

"Hm and listen to Dad drone on about ghosts the whole time?" Danny reached for his soda and took a swig. "I think I'll stick with you."

They both looked over at the pilot's chair, where Jack was holding Barry captive in a conversation about spectral energy and the physics behind it.

Maddie sighed. "Poor Barry."

"The scary part is," Danny whispered conspiratorially, "I think he's really enjoying it."

His mother laughed, making him smile. He watched her as she kept her gaze fixed on Barry. She noticed him staring and turned to face him instead.

"It's funny," she said, "from the moment I met him I've been thinking about you at his age, wondering what you'll be like." She reached out and brushed his hair from his face with a frown. "You're growing up so fast."

"Mo-om," Danny gave the obligatory teenage groan and ran a hand through his hair, putting it back the way he likes it.

"I'm serious," she gave his non-injured shoulder a gentle bump. "And it's funny because, at the time, I didn't even know how alike you two are."

Danny nearly choked on his soda. "You think we're… alike?"

"Of course," Maddie relied, like it was obvious, "You've both been given extraordinary abilities!"

"Yeah, but…" Danny fiddled with the tab on his soda can.

"But what?" His mom pressed him, trying to understand where his sudden unease was coming from.

"I mean, he's still human." Danny kept his gaze fixed on the soda tab. "I'm not. Not all the way at least."

Seeing how much this had been weighing on her son, Maddie's tone softened. "I don't really see what that has to do with anything."

The fidgeting with the soda tab stopped.

"You're still you," she added emphatically, "And your father and I love you very much."

Danny looked up with an appreciative grin. "Love you too, Mom."

She pulled him into a quick side-hug. "Now I'm going to go save that boy before your father gets so caught up he forgets to land."

Danny chuckled. "Good idea." He watched his mom go up to Barry and observed them from afar.

So his mom had been thinking about him whenever she interacted with the lanky scientist-turned-superhero. The disclosure sent his mind drifting. He had never thought about what it would be like to be Barry's age and still be half-ghost. The thought was a bit jarring. He had planned on becoming an astronaut before the accident that gave him his powers and since then he had never once considered how it might have changed the course of his life. Was the space academy still his plan?

Danny closed his eyes and tried to imagine his future and what he would want it to look like… but the feeling of uncertainty blurred the images in his mind and he began to panic. His eyes flew open and he looked down at where his arms rested in front of him, one hand was squeezing the opposite arm. The sensation was calming to him and he wondered briefly why until he remembered his hand on Sam's arm not too long ago.

He smiled as he had a comforting thought. His future may be uncertain, but one thing was for sure: he was not going into it alone.

 **The End! Thank you so much to all my readers and especially my reviewers who stuck by me through this whole ride! If you follow me as an author, I do have something else in the works for DP. I'm going to wait until it's a little more developed before I post it, but stay tuned! :)**


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